Van der Sloot heads to court on murder charges in Peru
- 12 years ago
It was almost two years ago that Peruvian authorities took Dutch national Joran Van der Sloot into custody on murder charges.
He has been accused of killing 21-year-old Peruvian student, Stephany Flores, the daughter of former Peruvian presidential candidate and former race car driver Ricardo Flores.
The murder allegedly took place May 30, 2010. CCTV footage shows the two meeting at a poker table in a Lima casino. More footage shows the two entering his hotel room and later shows Van Der sloot leaving the hotel by himself.
Flores body was found at the hotel June 02.
On June 9, Van der Sloot confessed to the murder. He later recanted the confession and asked that it be thrown out.
A Peruvian judge rejected the argument and Van der Sloot has been in a Peruvian jail since June 11, 2010.
Now his trial is set to begin January 6th.
Authorities say Van der Sloot could face at least 30 years in prison if he is found guilty. He also remains the key suspect in the
2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway.
The trial has brought renewed attention to the Holloway case, an 18-year-old American from Alabama who disappeared during a high school graduation trip in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice in that case, but was never charged due to insufficient evidence.
Police said Van der Sloot killed Flores after finding her looking at his laptop computer in his hotel room which contained e-mails about Holloway.
Guillermo Garcia, Reuters.
He has been accused of killing 21-year-old Peruvian student, Stephany Flores, the daughter of former Peruvian presidential candidate and former race car driver Ricardo Flores.
The murder allegedly took place May 30, 2010. CCTV footage shows the two meeting at a poker table in a Lima casino. More footage shows the two entering his hotel room and later shows Van Der sloot leaving the hotel by himself.
Flores body was found at the hotel June 02.
On June 9, Van der Sloot confessed to the murder. He later recanted the confession and asked that it be thrown out.
A Peruvian judge rejected the argument and Van der Sloot has been in a Peruvian jail since June 11, 2010.
Now his trial is set to begin January 6th.
Authorities say Van der Sloot could face at least 30 years in prison if he is found guilty. He also remains the key suspect in the
2005 disappearance of American student Natalee Holloway.
The trial has brought renewed attention to the Holloway case, an 18-year-old American from Alabama who disappeared during a high school graduation trip in the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.
Van der Sloot was arrested twice in that case, but was never charged due to insufficient evidence.
Police said Van der Sloot killed Flores after finding her looking at his laptop computer in his hotel room which contained e-mails about Holloway.
Guillermo Garcia, Reuters.